Rating scale

My reviews NEVER contain spoilers

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Listen, if you get 5 stars your book pretty much blew me away. This rating is kept for the books that truly deserve to be here. Just because everyone else gave you 5’s doesn’t mean I will. I run a tight ship here. Don’t get me wrong, everyone gets a fair shake, I judge everyone independently. To get a 5 you need to meet all the requirements of a 4 star but also make me wish I could forget everything I just read so I can start again and relive the entire experience. So if you get a 5 on my page, you’re a force to be reckoned with.

4 stars and + ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Here is where things start to get tricky with me. Books can deserve more than just a flat 4 star rating. I actually will give 4.25, 4.5, 4.75 depending on the book. (That’s where the + comes in to play). It may look complicated, but honestly its not, most books will speak for themselves. A book in the 4 star range is one that I would highly recommend, is written well, one that has an amazing story line, good character development, and has left me with a lot of emotions and feelings well after I have finished the book. I will most definitely read more of this authors work if I haven’t yet already, probably sooner than later.

3 stars and + ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Same concept with the 4, using 3.25, 3.5, 3.75. You’re 3’s for me are typically your average. It will be something I liked, something I didn’t hate, but something I won’t really think much about a day or two later. I look at all the same qualities I’m looking at in the 4 star range, but these books just didn’t quite blow me away. Usually these are the books that if someone asks me if I would recommend them I would say “yeah, sure, it’s a good read.” A lot of these end up being your mindless romcom or cozy mystery types (just examples, no stereotypes, I’ve been known to give a really good rating to a cozy mystery) that are great books to take your mind off thinking. These are authors I like to come back to if I liked their previous work, and will be sure to tell others about them. The thing about these books is that they aren’t horrible, but they just aren’t mind blowing/memorable either. A lot of times I will find myself looking up these books on goodreads to check and see if I’ve read it already (and I usually have). I sometimes like to categorize these as “take them or leave them” because these are the ones I have no problem keeping or giving away.

2 stars and + ⭐️⭐️

This is where things get hairy with me. If you’re in the 2 star range, I struggled with something with your book. Plot, subject matter, believability, unnecessary rambling, writing style, and who knows what else. You’ll find out in the review, but don’t expect any recommendations from me. If there’s something I liked, I’ll be sure to let you know, but a 2 star range makes me question future work.

1 star and + ⭐️

God help you if you’re here. You’ve probably only got the star because you got your book published and I was stupid enough to read it in its entirety (and yes, I will, there’s no DNF with me, I’m dedicated). I will honestly tell you what I didn’t like and why, and make a few recommendations. I doubt I will ever read anything of yours again and will ward others off of your publications.

NO ⭐️

Yes, on the rare occasion I’ve been known to do this, and so I had to include it. This is when oddly enough, I have absolutely nothing to say about your book, and let me tell you, that’s not a good thing.